Hot Weather Safety Advisory - COOL Zones

Be Safe In This Heat

Go to a Cool Zone - for a Cool Zone near you please call (800) 510-2020.

Recommendations for the heat wave include:
Wear lightweight clothing
Pace yourself when engaging in physical activity
Take a cool shower, bath or sponge bath
Drink plenty of water. Avoid caffeine and alcoholic beverages which dehydrate the body
Make sure your outside pets have a cool shady place to go to and have plenty of water as well.
Call your physician if you feel you may be experiencing heat-related illness.

*Also, never leave children or pets inside vehicles any time, even with the windows cracked. Temperatures inside a vehicle can reach lethal levels in a matter of seconds, no matter what the weather is like.

Cool Zone locations: COOL Zone Locations 2008

More heat Safety Tips:

Heat Conditions, Symptoms and First Aid

What you might see in a heat injury

1. Sunburn is usually a first-degree burn that involves just the outer surface of the skin. Symptoms include redness and pain.
Severe cases may cause swelling, blisters, fever of 102 degrees or above and headaches.

First Aid: Use ointments, as well as cool baths or compresses, for less severe cases. Don't break the blisters; if blisters do break, use a dry germ-free dressing. In severe cases consult a
physician. Drink plenty of water.

2. Heat cramps often are related to dehydration. Symptoms include increased sweating with painful muscle spasms of the arms, legs and occasionally the abdomen.

First Aid: Remove the victim from the hot environment. Apply pressure on or gently massage the spastic muscles to relieve spasms.

3. Heat exhaustion is the inability to sweat enough to cool yourself. Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, dizziness, nausea or vomiting as well as cold, clammy, pale, red or flushed
skin. A marked body temperature rise will not occur.

First Aid: Remove the victim from the heat. Lay the victim down and loosen the clothing. Apply cold compresses and cool the body by fanning the victim or placing the victim in a cool
environment. Consult a physician if vomiting continues.

4. Heatstroke occurs when the body stops sweating but the body temperature continues to rise. Symptoms include visual disturbances, headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion and, as
the condition progresses, delirium or unconsciousness. The skin will be hot, dry, red or flushed even under the armpits. This condition is a severe medical emergency that could be fatal. CALL 9-1-1 immediately.

First Aid: Consult a physician immediately or call 9-1-1. Remove clothing and place victim in a cool environment, sponge the body with cool water or place the victim in a cool bath.
Continue the process until temperature decreases. DO NOT PROVIDE FLUIDS to an unconscious victim.

Preventing Heat Injuries - What you can do to prevent heat injuries

*Avoid the sun from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. when the
burning rays are strongest.

*Reduce physical activity.

*Wear a wide-brimmed hat and light colored, lightweight, loose-fitting clothes when you're outdoors. This type of clothing reflects heat and sunlight, which helps you maintain a normal body temperature.

*Avoid sudden changes of temperatures, (i.e., air out a hot car before getting into it).

*Avoid hot, heavy meals that include proteins. They increase your metabolism and water loss, and raise your body's natural way of cooling.

*Set your air conditioning thermostat between 75 and 80 degrees. If you don’t have an air conditioner, take a cool bath or shower twice a day and visit air-conditioned public spaces during the hottest hours of the day.

*Drink plenty of fluids even if you aren't thirsty. Eight to 10 glasses of water a day are recommended. Drink even more if you are exercising or working in hot weather.

*Do not drink alcohol or caffeine since they are diuretics
(i.e., promote water loss).

*Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 if you need to go out in the sun.